One of the guests at the opening of the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater was Dinah Shore. Even though they no longer were an item, she brought in The Dinah Shore Show and spent an entire week taping the show with guests like Carol Burnett, Andy Gibbs, The Beach Boys and numerous other celebrities. Most stayed at the Jupiter Beach Hilton (Jupiter Beach Resort) They were all over town to the delight of the residents CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY JAN DAVISSON

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the first of three stories written by Jupiter locals based upon fond personal recollections of Burt Reynolds. This one is shared by Carol Saunders of Tequesta.

When I spoke on the phone to Todd Vittom, executive director of the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre, the day after Burt died, he said, "Burt always wanted to die at Valhalla, and he got his wish!"

I had known Burt for many years. At Palm Beach High School, in West Palm Beach, he was called "Buddy" and was a very popular football hero.

He was two years ahead of me there and I only met him once. I got to know this fabulous “hunk” Buddy much later, when he was going through his meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood films and trendy 1960s TV shows "Gunsmoke," "Hawk" and "Dan August."

I was one of Watson B. Duncan's acting and literature students, named Carol Saier and appeared in one of the plays he directed before graduating in television, theater and communications at the University of Florida. Buddy took classes at Florida State and then Palm Beach Junior College (now Florida State College in Lake Worth).

Burt would came in and out of town

After graduating I worked at WPTV Channel Five and then at WPEC, Channel 12. Burt would came in and out of town, to visit his parents, Duncan and his many local friends. He also made many local appearances here to tell the locals about his exciting success in Hollywood.

He took me with him on several of these presentations. I was so proud to sit in the audience and smile at all the jealous females attending, because I knew he was taking me out afterward.

In my spare time, I enjoyed working with Duncan’s acting group and with the Lake Worth Players that Burt was close to when he was in town. That’s when we began dating casually, more as friends who loved acting and working with theater any way we could.

I never knew when he would come to town - and I would receive one of his looked-forward-to phone calls, but when they came, I always had a fun time with him.

The dates were magical

The dates were magical. He loved going to the nightclubs on Worth Avenue. that were so popular then, like the Loggia and Taboo and a few others that were trendy. We usually played a game of Charades and people at the clubs gathered around us to watch him perform and they would always applaud excitedly after he did. I was quite popular around town during those exciting dates.

We often double-dated with Duncan and his wife Honey, who were such fun to spend time with. Burt admired Duncan very much. Another close friend was football coach Bobby Riggs who had coached Burt at Palm Beach High. We would go to parties at his house and on one occasion Burt brought along a tape of a new detective show he was going to star in and that he had created the opening and closing credits for personally. He loved directing and was so proud to be able to create something like that.

I ran into Burt over the years, I was married happily to my husband Martin Saunders, now retired. I didn’t see him again until we moved to Tequesta in 1980. We purchased a house here and I began working as a society-theater writer for a local newspaper called The Jupiter-Tequesta Journal, which is no longer in print.

Seventh heaven

I was in seventh heaven

Much of my theater work was covering things at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre and I was in seventh heaven, interviewing all the great stars Burt brought to town to perform in so many spectacular shows. I kept running my art gallery during that time.

Once, while Burt was married to Loni Anderson, he bought an expensive painting from me at an art exhibit I was invited to take part in at the dinner theater. The painting had a connection to the play going on and was a delightful treat for my husband and I.

I didn’t get a chance to interview him until I started writing for the Jupiter Courier - just after the 911 tragedy. I had my own business for a number of years with my husband, an art gallery named Tequesta Galleries that folded following that disaster when art sales were practically nonexistent.

I happily worked for the Courier (now The Jupiter Courier Newsweekly) for 15 years, referenced at Carolchatter@aol.com. Burt graciously let me interview him several times and sent me a dozen long-stem roses after one interview and a framed photo of himself with me on another occasion.

I was invited to attend events at the Burt Reynolds Museum with students of his Master Acting Class for the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre whenever they had anything special going on.

My last Burt interview

My last interview with him was with another local publication (Florida Weekly) held during a Master Acting Class in North Palm Beach. He graciously invited me to stay at the class and participate with his students for a delightful hour or so. I also attended his gala 80th birthday party.

The interviews Burt gave me and special events I was always invited to attend helped my career so many times I can’t count them. I shall never forget how Burt’s life has woven itself in and out of mine in such a wonderful way.

Burt Reynolds was a warm, gracious, sexy and gentle giant, the likes of which we all shall never forget. I love you 'my Buddy.'